The Best Laid Plans
by ilovetvalot
Summary: It's a Morgan/Emily Christmas for Fanatical Writer and her prompts ...When her Christmas plans go awry, can Emily Prentiss still find a path back into Derek Morgan's heart?


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**_A special note to my readers...as Christmas draws nearer, so does my husband's return from the war zone in Afghanistan. This said, posts will be slowing DRAMATICALLY after the holiday. Bear with me. Slower updates are expected to last approximately a month. But, real life and a family reconnection will take precedence. I'm sure you all understand. But, take heart, a happy hubby makes an energetic writer._**

**_And as always, thanks to our readers! Your reviews and alerts make our day and we love hearing from you! We don't own a thing, but we sure wish we did._**

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_**Special Thanks to Fanatical Writer Fanfiction on facebook for the following pairing prompt for Mo**__**rgan/Emily: Jingle Bells, Christmas Tree falling over, someone wearing nothing but a Santa hat, and a Christmas stocking catching on fire.**_

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**The Best Laid Plans**

Humming the tune to Jingle Bells nervously as she peeked out the curtains of Derek Morgan's one story house, Emily Prentiss shook her head. She lifted her hands and adjusted the felt Santa cap perched precariously on her head and wondered why the _hell_ she was so anxious.

She'd been an agent with some covert agency or another for over half her adult life. She'd been with the stately Bureau as a profiler for over six of those years. She knew how to enact a stealth mission, didn't she? Surprising Derek for Christmas was as simple a plan as she'd ever concocted. Pilfering his key had been easy. One whispered word to Penelope Garcia, their resident technical guru, was all it had taken to get around his state of the art security system. An innocent smile at Derek's nosy elderly next door neighbor had forestalled the old man's questions.

She was _in_, she thought, tightening the sash on her silk robe as she combed her fingers through her ebony tresses.

All she had to do was stick to her plan.

Releasing the curtain as she turned to pace the length of the living room, she bit her lip. When she'd enlisted JJ and Garcia's assistance in finding a way back into Derek Morgan's less than welcoming arms after she'd returned to the unit, she'd never expected _this _to be the Grand Gesture that they came up with between them.

But, according to PG, the quickest way back to Derek's heart would be through Christmas. It was his favorite time of the year….or had been, until her "death". This year, he'd barely cracked a smile as the holiday hoopla had commenced. So, with the help of her best friends, they'd formed a plan…one that would hopefully help Derek regain his Christmas spirit and her regain the man she loved.

The fact that she was supposed to do it naked except for her Santa cap had also been Pen's idea. And with a smile, Emily couldn't deny that the man she'd loved couldn't resist a good visual.

So, they'd spend the morning converting Morgan's abode into a decorated Winter Wonderland, complete with trimmed tree and roaring fire while he conducted a custodial review several counties over. Glancing at the clock, she knew said interview had concluded over an hour ago.

Which meant her former lover would be arriving soon.

And that knowledge sent her heartbeat into overdrive. Catching her breath as she heard the familiar rev of his truck's engine sliding into the driveway, she quickly slid her knee length red robe over rounded shoulders and struck a provocative pose, one hand resting against a branch of the Christmas tree.

Swallowing hard, she held her breath as the front door finally swung open.

There were some kinks a person just _could not_ predict when they were forming an evil master plan.

Emily Prentiss' kink even came with a name.

"Clooney!" she exclaimed as Derek Morgan's black lab caught her scent and lunged toward her. "Stop!" she squealed as Derek appeared in the threshold of the living room, his jaw slack as her naked body dodged the pouncing canine as he ran headlong into the decorated tree.

"Oh, God!" she yelled as the fir toppled into the fire place.

"Emily!" Derek yelped as the tree caught the Christmas stocking, dragging it into the fire. "Watch out," he growled, his hands closing around her naked arm and pulling her back against his chest as the smoldering stocking missed landing on her bare foot by a scant inch.

Shoving her behind him as he stomped out the flames licking at the tree and Christmas stocking, he released a heavy breath as tendrils of smoke wafted through the air. "Okay, I think it's all out," he panted, finally turning to face her, her stricken eyes staring back at him. "Do you mind telling me what the _hell_ is going on?" he yelped.

"Uhmmm, Merry Christmas?" she said weakly, her arms lifting ineffectually to encompass the remnants of her Yuletide surprise.

Blinking, Derek finally registered that his colleague and former lover stood in front of him, naked, with only a Santa cap hanging limply off her head. Shaking his head as his mind tried to process the image, he heard her continue in a whisper, "I was trying to surprise you."

"By burning down my house?" Derek balked, his jaw dropping. "Extra points though for attempting to do it naked," he complimented dryly, his eyes walking down her delectable body. "That added a nice Yuletide twist," he snorted.

Shoulders sagging as she tried to reach around him for her discarded robe, she grimaced. "My plan didn't quite go according to schedule. I didn't include Clooney," she muttered, dropping her gaze to the stout dog laying on the floor at Derek's feet, his tail thumping happily against the hardwoods.

Picking up her robe, he passed it to her. "Cover up, Em…all the bare parts are distracting me," he grumbled, wanting to hold onto the anger that was rapidly slipping away.

Slipping the robe back on her body as he righted the fallen Christmas tree, Emily released a heavy breath.

"Are there any other surprises you wanna share with me?" Derek asked, picking up what was left of the burned stocking from the floor and throwing it in the trash can. "You didn't leave Santa's head in my bed, did you?"

"No," Emily groaned, pushing the Santa cap back on her head. "Those were all of my Christmas sacrifices," she said softly, watching as he finally turned to face her again. "I'm sorry."

"For?" Derek prompted, his eyes narrowing on his unexpected intruder.

"Breaking in here…mangling your house…ruining your Christmas…betraying your trust…losing your love…Jesus, Derek, take your _pick_. I was trying to make amends."

Seeing the fine mist of tears shining in her expressive brown eyes, Derek softened. "You did all _this," _he stated, sweeping an arm around the festive room, "to try and say you're sorry?"

"Yes," Emily answered quietly, staring down at her painted red toenails. "It seems pretty dumb now…like one Christmas tree and a few decorations could make a difference after everything I put you through…but, yes, that's what I was trying to do."

Feeling the last of his anger drain from his body at her soft explanation, Derek sighed. "The being naked was a _really_ nice touch," he admitted grudgingly. "If you hadn't nearly set my house on fire, we'd probably be halfway through this reconciliation."

Eyes widening as she heard his husky statement, Emily lifted her head, blinking up at him. "Wh-what?" she breathed.

"You heard me," Derek challenged softly, arching one dark brow as he let his eyes linger on her beautiful face.

Biting her lip as her throat tightened, Emily saw the forgiveness…the _love_ burning in his dark gaze. "T-technically, it was Clooney that lit the fire," she offered tremulously.

"True." Derek nodded once as he slowly grinned. "C'mere, Em," he invited hoarsely, holding his arms out as she threw herself against him. Wrapping her in his embrace as her shoulders shook, he lifted a hand to pull off the red felt cap and bury his nose in her soft hair. "I never stopped loving you, Princess," he whispered. "I just had to get over being so pissed off at you that I wanted to strangle you with my bare hands."

"Are you there yet?" Emily sniffled against his chest, so relieved to feel his arms around her again that the sensation was almost painful.

"Well," he said slowly, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead, "I definitely want to get my bare hands on you…but the urge to strangle you has definitely passed."

And as they stood there in front of the blazing fireplace, a Christmas miracle bloomed to life for both of them again.

Sometimes life turned out far better than any plan could have predicted.

_**Finis**_

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_**So, what did you all think?**_


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